A Goddess Living Life
by FierySprites
Summary: Thanks to Elizabeth, Mariko Kusumi (formerly Minato Arisato) has been granted a new lease on life - and damn if she's gonna let it go to waste! Quite frankly, Elizabeth and Marie will be giving quite a few headaches in many times to come. [Minato is Marie, 'A Goddess in Reality' Fic, One-Shot Collection]
1. There's Something About You

**A Goddess Living Life**

 _ **Chapter 1  
**_ _There's Something About You_

(Uploaded on July 6, 2018)

* * *

 **Summary:** Minato muses on how strange and familiar Marie is. Meanwhile, Marie thinks the whole situation is kind of hilarious.

 **Notes:** This collection serves as a pseudo-sequel to one of my past stories, **A Goddess in Reality**. The details of the stories here will probably not make a lot of sense unless you read that first. _Persona 4 Golden_ is also not canon to this universe.

This chapter takes place during the events of _Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth_. Elizabeth and Marie come from an unspecified point after **A Goddess in Reality**.

 **EDIT 7/11/2018:** Modified to add some context for Marie's backstory. Thanks to reviewer **PatRox** for the suggestion!

* * *

 **[Minato]**

 **Yasogami High School**

Being stuck here in some facsimile version of a high school I've never heard of before was only the first of the weird things to happen today.

As the (co-)field leader of SEES, I (and the rest of the group) have seen some pretty 'out-there' things on our quest to end the Dark Hour. Being in Tartarus mid-transformation, love hotels and just-as-lovely Shadows, Strega, Fuuka's cooking, the list goes on and on. And that's not even counting our team's fairly quirky nature, too.

But even by our standards, this was weird.

I mean, first you have everyone being transported to the Velvet Room, then being further transported to some place called Yasogami High School (that Minako actually seemed to recognize, something about a 'school trip'), finding Zen and Rei, and finally basically living out Alice in Wonderland.

Oh, and we can't forget the other group of Persona users.

Yeah, Minako and I were just as surprised as you were.

And then, just to top it all off, right after we beat the Queen of Hearts together (it's a long story), some strange pentagram appeared, spat out a future version of Elizabeth and some other girl, who then proceeded to kill-steal the Shadow we took forever to beat.

Great… Just great. As if I didn't have enough headaches to worry about. Junpei was complaining to me for ages.

I really just want to go sleep right now, but there's no beds here. Like, at all.

Not even any sleeping bags.

Like, seriously? If you're gonna trap us here in this school for an unspecified period of time, I'd appreciate it if I could sleep comfortably. I mean, our strange culprit had the decency to give us restrooms, they couldn't have given us beds too? It's not like we're going to be studying or anything while we're here.

At the very least, I still have my headphones, so I can just block out everything with _Burn My Dread_ as usual.

If Minako will let me, anyway.

"Come on, Minato!" my sister pleaded with me, trying to tug my arm away from the wall I was laying against. "We should go hang out with the other Persona users! Everyone else in SEES is doing so, you should be joining them!"

"Eh, I don't really care," I dismissed. I'm beginning to think I should turn the volume up, just to avoid my sister's nagging. I may have Social Links, but I'm not the social butterfly she is.

Also, I'd prefer to just develop my bonds with the rest of SEES.

"You're supposed to the co-leader of our combined groups! How are you supposed to be a leader if you don't even know what the other guys can do? Don't forget, our Wild Card abilities aren't up to full strength right now, so we'll need to know our teammates' skills more than ever!"

I sighed. It had already took an eternity-and-a-half for Minako to get me intricate with the specialties of the other members of SEES, I wasn't really looking forward to having to do the same with this… 'Investigation Team' (what exactly could they be investigating, anyway?). "Can't you do that without me?" I asked.

"We're co-leaders, remember?" she reminded me. "It's not like I can do this alone. You need to make more friends, anyway! You can't be a hermit forever!" She renewed her efforts to drag me along, attempting to put more strength into it. "So just… come… on… already…! _Why are you so resistant to this!?"_

"Personal space, please," I bluntly stated.

"No… seriously…! How are you… so freaking… strong…!?"

The sound of someone giggling broke our attention. "You two are just a fun little bunch, aren't you?" Slowly, the two of us turned our heads to see the fashionably questioned Mariko Kusumi – otherwise known as **Marie** – standing about, watching us. She was holding up some sort of notebook, and seemed to be amused by our shenanigans. "I'm surprised you two can work so well together, what with being polar opposites and all."

This was the girl that popped alongside the other Elizabeth. Aside from that, I don't really know too much else about her, aside from the fact that she's a Persona-user. And the fact that she's girlfriends with future Liz.

I don't really know what to say about that.

"Oh, hey Marie!" Minako greeted, using her other hand to wave a 'Hello' at her. "Yeah, _everybody's_ always surprised by that. Can you believe this doofus would just rather do nothing except sleep and listen to music all day?" She started tugging at my arm again. "I don't know how in the heck he can be such a good co-leader when he's! Like! _This!"_

I didn't react to her statements, seeing it fit to just stay standing there listening to _Burn My Dread_ on repeat. It's not exactly helping my case, but this is how I've functioned for over ten years, so why would I need to change?

"You seem like you have your hands full," she remarked with twinkling green eyes. "I could certainly write a bunch of poems based purely on the stuff I see from you guys."

That's another thing about Marie. Half the time I see her, she's doing one of two things: either A) she's writing poetry, or B) she's listening to music. The former part I could just take as just another quirk in our universe of colorful teenagers (and Ken). She's actually pretty good at poetry, I'll admit, based on the scraps of paper she keeps leaving about.

I swear though, she's putting them there on purpose specifically for me – like, the contents of each poems are always relevant to _my_ interests… not to mention they're written the way I write, too, which is _bizarre._ She tries to spin it as her being a little clumsy, but I don't buy it, not for a single second.

The latter's interesting for its own reasons.

She keeps her MP3 player at a fairly high volume, allowing me to listen in to her music tastes. While there are certainly a few J-Pop songs in there, she shares a lot of the tracks that _I_ listen to. _Mass Destruction, When the Moon Reaches for the Stars, Deep Breath Deep Breath_ – it's literally my entire soundtrack of tunes in there, plus some of my sister's.

Literally all of it. Even the remixes.

And that's not even mentioning her rapport with Future Elizabeth. The two are so… 'buddy-buddy' together (for lack of a better term to use), much like me and Elizabeth now. Future Liz seems to drag Marie around a lot, but I notice the latter never seems to mind.

"That's great and all," my sister grunted, "but that doesn't really help me out with moving Minato to _actually do something."_

"Well, if that's the case, I suppose I could lend a hand."

…hang on, what?

Without warning, I abruptly found myself being hoisted off the floor, Marie carrying me into a bridal position by some abnormal strength. "H-Hey, put me down!" I exclaimed, uncharacteristically a little panicked. I haven't gotten through this repeat of _Burn My Dread_ yet, let me listen to it a little longer!

"Oh, don't be like that, you weren't going to be listening to anything other than _Burn My Dread_ anyway." Wait, how did she know—? "Besides, you know your sister is right! Just think of this as an… extension of your Social Links."

I groaned. Between the two of them, I'm never gonna be able to just sit around today, am I? "Fine, fine," I grumbled, "just so long as this doesn't take too long."

"YEAH!" Minako cheered, pumping her fists straight into the air. "FINALLY!"

"See?" Marie grinned. "Sometimes, you just need a little help to get things done. Something I'm sure Minato would know if he bothered to get a little more social, like you said."

Yes, I get it, do Social Links and all that stuff. Please stop badgering me over them. I get enough of that from Igor.

"Ha ha! Someone actually understands my plight!" my sister cheered. Good for her, at least. "Oh, the days of finding someone who can help me drag Minato out the door are over at last! Now… Uhh… Say, Marie, do you know where the Investigation Team is?"

You gotta be kidding me. She wants to go learn more about the other Persona-users and she doesn't even know where they are? I mentally sighed. That's… typical of her. Sometimes I wonder how she handles dealing with all of her Social Links.

"Oh, don't worry, you can find them hanging about the halls. Come on, I'll even join you!" How nice, I gotta go through double the pain. Marie didn't seem to share my opinion, though. She kind of seems _way_ too eager to socialize. "Maybe we can even get the other SEES members in on this, too. How about it?"

"That sounds great! Let's do it!"

And so here I am, being dragged by Minako and Marie to go properly meet the members of the Investigation Team. Admittedly, it _was_ pretty interesting – these guys cover about the same strengths across each member as we of SEES did. A Wild Card, single element users, Physical attackers, a couple dedicated healers, etc.

And also Naoto, who has both Bless and Curse. And Almighty spells.

Someone won the lottery in the Persona skills department.

While I was 'getting intricate' with the Investigation Team's specialties (yes, I know that sounds weird, shut up), my mind kept coming back to Marie and her… overall weirdness. She was a different sort of quirky from Elizabeth and the other Velvet Room attendants. And there was something about her that was just… familiar, in a way I couldn't put my finger on.

Her mannerisms, her writing style, her song interests, the way she knows how to interact with us… the way she seems to intimately know me inside out.

Then it hit me. One single question that simultaneously gave me an answer and even more questions.

 _Just why is she so much like_ _ **me**_ _?_

And… I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question.

* * *

 **[Marie]**

Heh, I forgot how antisocial and sleepy I used to be. Who knew just what a single year's worth of bonds and friendship could do to someone like me?

Seeing myself in the hallway, trying his best not to get involved in socialization with the other Persona-users is an interesting process, truly.

In any case, it is a little weird, seeing your past self like this. I mean sure, SEES and the Investigation Team come from two different time periods, that's one thing. But then there's me and Liz, who come from even further in the future than the Inaba crew. And we're a weird contrast against our younger selves.

Time travel can be a little bit weird, sometimes. The same can be said for the lives of us Persona-users.

Just look at me: I was once an ordinary male student, and now I'm an overpowered goddess with a ruler of power for a girlfriend.

…oh, you're… uhh… probably wondering what some of the context for this is. Lemme put it to you this way: I used to be **Minato Arisato**.

No, really.

Like my past self, I went on a complex journey and eventually ended up saving the whole world from basically themselves. But to do that, I had to become a giant, really resilient door to prevent a malevolent deity from helping the world end itself. I… couldn't exactly do a lot as a door, so it was admittedly kind of boring. Especially since I was cut off from my friends and all.

Luckily, my girlfriend Elizabeth – I call her Liz – managed to give me a new body to use while my old one was a door by 'borrowing' some leftover energy from another goddess – Izanami. Said other goddess promptly gave me a magical girl-esque transformation sequence, the powers of a virtual goddess, and then just let me be to show humanity their awesomeness.

I'm abridging this a little, but trust me, it makes sense in context.

Liz and I were supposed to be just relaxing a bit back home, but then we were unceremoniously dropped into this alternate dimension. With me and my friends from the past, a group of different guys from a little later in the future, and then us.

Not the most romantic of scenarios, if I'm being honest.

But hey, at least I get to see SEES and me as we were all the way back in 2009, before all the major tragedies happened one after the other. Seeing past me be all lethargic and my sister being all energetic again… it just really hits home, you know?

I can tell past me's a little suspicious, though. I'm not surprised; I mean, it's not like I've completely changed from when I used to be Minato Arisato; I still hold my bonds with SEES quite closely, and hanging out with them is still a highlight of every day here. And I also know that Minato's heard that my tastes in music are exactly the same as his, among several of my mannerisms.

(I imagined that my more upbeat personality would give him less cause to be suspicious, but, eh. Can't win them all.)

And I'm _really_ certain he doesn't know what I really represent in terms of his future. The things he'll need to sacrifice to save the world, to save his friends, and the life that Elizabeth helped give back to me.

At this stage, he's not likely to take it well. He used to be me, I'd know.

But he'll get there, in time.

…hopefully not anytime during this adventure.

That'd just be awkward.

"Hmm, you seem to be taking this rather well, Marie~!" Elizabeth's voice came up beside me. Turning my head, I saw her skipping toward my side, still as energetic as ever. Seeing our past selves hasn't slowed either of us down, huh.

"What can I say, Liz?" I responded. "We've been through some pretty weird things in our time, though nothing probably not as weird as this. It's… a rather interesting scenario."

"If I must say, it is nice to see us as we were just a few years ago! It's bringing back so many memories. There's so much I can introduce myself to, and so much to share! Ooh, remember last month when you burned your mouth on that curry?"

"Hey, it's not like you told me it was that spicy!" I protested, my face flushing. That thing was so hot it may have well have been on fire! Hell, I even _spat_ a bit of fire after ingesting the thing. It's a miracle that thing was even cooked in an actual kitchen. "Though admittedly…" I smiled mischievously. "…it'd be fun to do the same to my younger self."

What? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same.

Besides, isn't this a great time to be 'building character'?

"Now we are getting places! …or was the term 'getting somewhere'?" Liz mused for a moment before continuing. "Eh, not important. Maybe they have one of those fountains at this school! I think this institution could do with a little donation, wouldn't you say? The food is not quite as versatile as I think it should be. Needs more takoyaki."

I… could've sworn there was enough takoyaki here, but if Liz doesn't think so, eh, I'll go with it. I'm sure Rei would appreciate the donation, anyway.

She eats even more than me and Minako combined, and that's saying something.

"You know…" I began, my mind trailing, "seeing ourselves like this really highlights how much we've changed over the past few years. I almost can't believe how different we were." It feels so long ago I was lethargic; now I'm bursting with a little too much energy. Heh, I just realized – I'm exactly the type of person I used to dislike. What a host of irony, huh?

It must make past me exhausted.

I wonder how he's finding my poems, anyway? Surely he has to have noticed the subject matter I write specifically for him. I bet he's tearing his hair out trying to figure out what it all means. I know me; mysteries were never my strong suit.

And there's so much more to play around with SEES and the Investigation Team. I should 'accidentally' drop some of my poems around them too, get them all confused – especially when I act clumsy about it. Playing up quirks like that is always a hilarious experience, I should do it more often when we get out of here.

"Yes. It's almost supernatural, isn't it?" Liz agreed. "It's almost difficult for me to avoid giving out 'spoilers', I believe they're called. It is hard not to want to share the happiness I felt once I finally found what I was looking for."

"Don't worry. You know eventually they'll be able to feel it," I said to Liz. "But for now, I'm going to have a lot of fun teasing myself about it."

"That's the spirit!" Elizabeth cheered. She looked out toward the crowd of SEES and Investigation Team members. "It looks like they'll be moving on soon. You don't want to be left behind, now~"

"Oh, you're right!" Quickly, I rushed over back to the younger Arisato twins. (It feels kind of weird referring to my old self in third-person, but that's time travel for you.) "So, how have you guys been doing?"

"Terrible," my younger self complained. "Can I just go back to listening to music now?"

"We've gone over this already, Minato!" Minako replied. "You gotta get out of your shell sometime, and besides, we still have the rest of the Investigation Team to go! Come on, let's go find them!"

My younger self groaned as Minako pranced away. It was kind of hard to tell Minako and I were twin siblings, what with the way I used to act and all. It's kind of endearing, in a way.

"Well, you heard the lady!" I said. "You've got a duty as co-leader to complete, after all."

I started off after my sister, relishing at the sound of my past self's grumbling. Just to confuse him more, I decided to deliberately drop another one of my poems for him to read, carefully letting it slip out of my bag without suspicion.

As I walked away, I heard him bending over to pick it up. "Another poem…?" I heard him mutter, and all the while I was giggling under my breath.

Man, this really _is_ fun.

I wonder how confused he'll be now?

* * *

 **So, I've gotten a few suggestions from readers about writing more about Elizabeth and Marie after the events of** A Goddess in Reality **, so who am I to disregard them? Besides, I kind of want to write more about Marie!Minato anyway. Like** Are You a Friend, Too? **, this series of one-shots will be something I write in my spare time when I'm not doing** Frames of Animation **.**

 **The timeframe of this fic will vary: it can be at any point set after vanilla** _ **Persona 4 (Arena, Ultimax, P5)**_ **, and also** _ **Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth**_ **. I've said this before, but it's worth noting that** _ **Persona 4 Golden**_ **is NOT canon to this 'verse. In case you couldn't tell, from Marie and all. This is also a Twins AU, because Minako needs more love.**

 **Since** _ **Persona Q**_ **has a liberal amount of time travel so that its fanservice can happen, I figure it'd be a special kind of funny if Minato and this 'verse's Marie had to interact. And Minato wondering "Who are you and why are you so familiar?" PQ may be basically nothing more than a giant dose of fanservice, but damn if it ain't awesome fanservice.**

 **One has to feel sorry for Minato. All he wants to do is sit on the wall and do nothing, but the world just won't let him. Maybe he'll have more luck when it comes to Yu.**

 **That's all for now, so stay tuned until next time!**


	2. Curry Never Hurt Anybody

**A Goddess Living Life**

 _ **Chapter 2  
**_ _Curry Never Hurt Anybody_

(Uploaded on July 10, 2018)

* * *

 **Summary:** I'll admit, these two are some of the most peculiar customers I've seen come to Leblanc. I mean, a Velvet Room attendant out in the open – and not to mention her oddly-dressed girlfriend? Sheesh.

 **Notes:** This chapter takes place during _Persona 5_ ; sometime after the **Fourth Palace Heist** , but prior to the **Sixth Palace Heist**.

* * *

 **[Ren]**

 **Café Leblanc**

It's been a fairly quiet day at Café Leblanc. I know we don't get a lot of traffic, since we're in a relatively isolated location, but it was still really empty. The only thing stopping it from being kind of unsettling was the sound of _Beneath the Mask_ playing on the café radio. (It plays 24/7. Seriously.)

Since I had nothing else to do (and I had already hung out with the other Phantom Thieves already), I was cleaning the dishes in the sink, an apron on over my casual clothing. Sojiro would appreciate it, despite the lack of customers today. Nearby, Futaba was hanging out nearby for some reason. When I asked her about it, she said that "You're my Key Item, of course! I gotta keep you at my side at all times."

I have no idea what that reasoning is supposed to mean, but eh, more company's more company! Morgana's a nice cat and all, but you can only spend so long in _just_ his company before you basically go insane.

"Ohhhhhhh, this is so boring!" Morgana whined beside me. Speaking of which, there he is, proving my point. "Come on, Ren, can't we go out and do something interesting for a change?"

"We've already hung out with the rest of our teammates today," I reminded him. "Besides, Sojiro wouldn't like the dishes being left out to rot like this. I don't want to be kicked out of a place to live now."

"Yeah!" Futaba agreed. "And after you do that, you can cook me some _delicious_ curry! I'm hungering for some good old-fashioned recovery items!"

"And I still have no idea why you keep using video game terminology," Morgana grumbled. I think it's a pretty cute quirk myself, though I don't really play many games beyond the classic 8-bit ones.

Sadly, despite all the Yen I can get from Palaces and Mementos, it's not enough to buy any modern game console. Not like they'd work on my little television, anyway.

"Hey, I'm a gaming nerd," Futaba reminded Morgana. "You should just learn to deal with it, scrub. Or… is it that you want more snuggles today, Mona?"

"No, no, I don't!" Morgana protested, trying to back away from our resident navigator. He was doing kind of poorly on that front. "R-Ren, h-help me out here!"

I smirked. "Sorry Morgana," I half-heartedly apologized. "Can't help you with this. Guess you're going to have to endure Futaba a little."

"You liar! You just want to see how this plays out!"

"What can I say?" I tilted my glasses up, creating a sheen effect that I was proud to have mastered. "I'm quite the **Joker** , after all."

"Well, you heard our leader! Come here, Mona!" Futaba started walking up to Morgana, her fingers outstretched and wiggling with delight. Appropriately, Morgana meowed loudly and hopped off where he was, running about the café in an attempt to escape Futaba's clutches. Futaba naturally followed while I watched the scene with a vested interest.

"Get away!" he screeched to no avail.

"Nope!" Futaba licked her lips. "I've got a side quest to complete!"

"Well," Morgana began to retort, "you can leave it _uncompleted_ then!"

Eventually, the scene got so comical – what with the two just running around in circles – that I just couldn't help but laugh out loud. It got so bad that I had to double over with a hand on my chest, growing ever more hysterical as my two teammates kept doing the runaround. Sure, Café Leblanc wasn't exactly a big place, but it certainly didn't mean this wasn't _utterly hilarious._

Now if only I had a good joke for the situation.

The sound of the door to the café opening forced me to stop, though. "Oh, my!" the voice of an ethereal, lively woman exclaimed in half-astonishment. "I didn't know such conduct was allowed in these establishments!" I… Uhh… She _does_ realize we're a small café, not a restaurant, right? "And here I was told that 'disorderly conduct' was disallowed in regular society! But here we are, and it clearly isn't."

I turned to the front door to see who our apparent next customer was, and my eyes promptly widened in shock. The woman was most prominently clad in blue – _velvet_ blue, specifically – and she even had the striking traits of platinum blonde hair and yellow eyes. The same attributes that both Justine and Caroline had.

There was _no way_ this woman didn't know anything about the Velvet Room. But I thought people from the Velvet Room didn't go outside at all, or were even visible. I mean, Justine hangs about the entrances to the Velvet Room and nobody ever comments on a little girl (not that I'd call her little to her face) just randomly hanging about the red-light district without any sort of adult protection (again, not that she'd need it).

"Liz, I'm pretty sure that this isn't any sort of fancy restaurant, so it really doesn't count," another voice intruded, sounding much more down-to-earth. "So you shouldn't really try to convince restaurant employees to table dance again." The woman that walked in proceeded to gain my number one slot on my list of _'Weirdest Fashion Choices I've Ever Seen,'_ for all the styles she wore seemed to both clash and suit each other. I'm no Ann, but that seriously can't be right.

" _What the heck is up with their outfits?"_ Futaba mock-whispered to Morgana. She was… uhh… speaking a little too loud. _"I don't think they'd give any buffs at all."_

" _I have no idea,"_ Morgana whispered back. _"Maybe if we back away, they won't infect us with their terrible fashion."_ Classic Morgana, always being snide in very public about every little thing he says. He's lucky that only us Phantom Thieves can act.

…that thought was soon quickly tested when I saw the weird-fashion lady raise an eyebrow at something. "…did someone say something about our fashion?" she muttered, almost too quietly for anyone to hear. I can only assume that she was reacting to Morgana. Immediately, thoughts began to whirl through my mind as to what this could mean. _Is she a Persona-user? Is she dangerous? Does she work for the police? Are our identities as Phantom Thieves compromised?_

 _I won't have to be hit with a baton, will I?_

"Aw, come on, Marie!" 'Liz' comically pouted. "There was no harm in letting people enjoy themselves! Besides, I seem to vividly recall you joining them, too."

A blush immediately overtook 'Marie's face, completely removing the relatively stoic look she had up to that point. "H-Hey, I t-thought you forgot about t-that!" she stammered a bit, looking away.

"Can you remember what it was like?" 'Liz' was teasing her… friend, I guess. "The feeling of the wind spinning through your crevices, the excitement of all the patrons in the air…!"

 _Okay, if nothing else, I can safely say these guys are_ _ **weird**_ _,_ I thought. Then again, that seemed normal for Velvet Room people. Just look at Caroline, always drop-kicking me painfully into the jail cell and always berating me over _something._ Even Justine joins in with the berating. What god up there keeps saddling me with weird-ass women – even by proxy – anyway? I kind of want to kick him or her in the nuts.

Too bad Makoto's the only closest thing to 'normal woman' that I know.

'Marie' groaned loudly. "Please stop, Liz," she attempted. "We're in public. This is embarrassing."

It seemed as if the duo (or more specifically, the Velvet Room lady) had remembered that we were here. Do… Do they normally ignore the other people in cafés like this? I'm surprised they're not kicked out more often. Or maybe they are. Or maybe they get on through charisma or plain ol' weirdness. Hell if I know. "Oh, where are my manners?" the blue-clothed woman realized, her voice not even raising a single octave. "I am **Elizabeth**! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The other girl seemed to finally be able to fight down the red on her face. "And I'm her wife, **Mariko Kusumi** ," she stated with a smile. "But I don't mind people just calling me Marie."

"I'm Ren Amamiya," I greeted to the two. I gestured toward Morgana. "This is Morgana," and then to Futaba, "and this is Futaba. It's nice to meet you."

Mariko Kusumi, Mariko Kusumi… I could've sworn I've heard that name before somewhere, but it seems to be slipping my mind. As I let my thoughts wander, I felt Morgana hop onto my shoulder. Luckily, I had gotten used to his weight thanks to him being in my bookbag all the time. He complains about it being cramped in there, but he has no idea how much work it takes to even carry him while he's in there.

" _Say, isn't that Kusumi woman the author of one of the books you read?"_ he quietly said into my ear.

Vaguely, I remembered reading a collection of poems while I was riding the subway to school. While I don't quite remember their specific contents, I recalled that they were introspective and even a little bit philosophical in places, with the subject of **'bonds'** coming up often. I'm pretty sure they boosted my **Kindness** a bit, but how, I couldn't really tell you. If I went to Igor for answers, I know he'd just say something vague and dismissive (like "Knowing such details is not vital to your rehabilitation.") and not actually answer me.

While I was more-or-less ambivalent on this author (I had a bunch of other things taking up my mind first and foremost, like planning out heists), Futaba seemed utterly enthralled by her. It was the same sort of expression she makes whenever we played one of those ancient 8-bit games together. Or whenever the subject of _Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory_ comes up. (That is still such a ridiculous title. **Phantom Thieves of Hearts** at least gets right to the point.)

"Omigosh, omigosh!" Futaba was squealing with delight. "Ren, Ren, it's her! Mariko Kusumi! The famous poet! You know, the one with all the bonds stuff!" And there was our favorite nerd, reiterating basically everything I was thinking.

"Yes, I can see her perfectly," I said. "She's literally right there."

"Oh, you've read my poems?" Marie's eyes twinkled. "I didn't expect to see a fan of mine here."

"I've read practically all of them!" Futaba continued. "They… They helped me through some pretty tough times, and I _love_ their subject material!" That's right – Futaba's a recovering suicidal shut-in. As much as she loves hacking and pop culture, people typically need more than just a couple of hobbies to keep themselves steady.

Probably. I'm not well-versed in this kind of thing, so damn if I know.

At least it makes Futaba happy.

"Like, she has such wonderful classics!" she kept babbling on. "Like one of her first poems, _Leaves of Green,_ which was just _so_ memorable! It went like…" She cleared her throat. Several times, actually.

 _Leaves of green fly away,  
Farewell to you, clouds of the sky…  
I fly as well, lost as the day,  
Farewell to you, moon of the night._

Seriously, I've never seen Futaba so fired up for something like this. Her voice didn't crack a single time, and I really got a sense of passion from the way she was reciting the poem. Even Morgana was taken aback at the sight. "I can't say I didn't see _this_ coming…" he muttered. I could see where he was coming from.

" _Bravo! Bravo!"_ Elizabeth was clapping delightfully. Marie looked pretty thrilled with Futaba's impromptu recital herself.

"Hey, that wasn't actually too bad," she praised. "It's always nice to see a fan of my works celebrate it with such passion. You should feel pretty proud."

"Ooooooooh! My favorite author complimented me! YES!" Futaba cheered. She then insisted to me, "Come on, Ren! Hurry up and serve 'em! This is a Special Event we can't miss! There's lots of loot for me—I mean, for _us_ to win!" I noticed her little slip, but I didn't bother to comment on it. I suppose it wasn't like I wasn't doing much here anyway. I can easily transition into servicing our newest two customers.

Beside me, Morgana muttered, _"What loot? She can't be talking about Treasures…"_

Plus, Sojiro's out getting groceries, I guess, so I gotta be the one to pick up the slack.

"Alright, alright," I chuckled. "Just give me a moment. I'm almost done with the dishes here."

Elizabeth hopped in front of one of the tables, her hands outstretched in the air as if she were flying. "Wheeeeeeee!" she triumphantly crowed, acting very much like a child. Something tells me I don't want to know what the rest of the Velvet Room family looks like, if this is what just one of them acts like.

Marie joined her beloved in the same chair, smiling warmly at her antics. I imagine she's very used to these types of shenanigans happening – maybe even joining in at some points, judging by what Elizabeth said earlier. I can't say I'm too surprised by that.

"So, what are you two going to order?" I asked the two of them from behind the counter. "We may not have a lot of things, but our coffee and curry's pretty good."

"Ooh, ooh! Get the curry, get the curry!" Futaba happily suggested, jumping up and down with joy. "It's the _best!_ Oh, and don't forget to cook some for me, Ren! I'm still hungering here!"

"Curry, huh?" Marie thought out loud. "Just so long as it's not any form of **Mystery Food X** , I think I'll be fine." She shuddered for a moment, as if remembering something particularly painful. "And maybe a bit of coffee, too." For a minute, I heard her mutter something about cooking, a 'Fuuka', and a 'F.O.E.'

'Course, there was something else she said that seemed interesting. Like, what was a Mystery Food X? What in the heck could that even _be?_

Futaba's messages of _"Ooh, that sounds like a neat item!"_ were not lost on me either. So I'm going to go off on the assumption that it's something terrible and I shouldn't try to investigate.

"This sounds intriguing indeed!" Elizabeth added, a joyous tone still hanging over her lips. "It is always a wonder to taste new and wondrous foods from beyond all realities!" …I have no idea how she said that with a straight face.

"This just keeps getting ridiculous and ridiculous," Morgana kept grumbling. "Is it a curse on us Phantom Thieves to have to deal with this?" And does he have to comment on every little thing he sees? "Hey, Ren. I gotta admit… I'm a little hungry, too. You can make some curry for me too, right?"

And now I gotta make curry for four. Five, counting me (because admittedly, I'm a little hungry too). "Don't worry Morgana, you'll get your fill too," I quietly replied. Mentally sighing, I thanked my lucky stars that we had a lot of leftover curry ingredients today. On the other hand, I guess we won't be making any big SP restoratives.

I suppose it'll be worth it to see Morgana and Futaba smile with delight, though.

So I got to work making the café's trademark coffee and the curry, utilizing my skills honed from hours of practice and Sojiro's teachings. I've made this exact recipe so many times that I think I could probably do it in my sleep (that is, if Morgana would ever let me sleep past midnight). The smell of which rapidly filled every crevice of this building again, it's heavenly scent entering every nose in the area, including mine.

"Mmmmmmmmm!" Futaba hummed, eyes closed in pure bliss. "I _love_ this smell! It's like finding an Infinity+1 Sword at the end of the road!" And there Futaba goes with her video game references again. "Hurry up Ren, I can't take it anymore!"

"What a heavenly scent!" Elizabeth declared. "I can sense its smell filling every crevice of this building! It's simply beautiful!"

Did… Did she just copy my thoughts?

Like, _directly?_

Judging by Marie's giggling face, it looks like she knows that Elizabeth did, in fact, copy my thoughts.

This settles it. Velvet Room residents and their companions will forever be a mystery to me.

"Ren, why do you look like that?" Morgana asked quietly. "You're just blinking in place."

Was I? Huh, I didn't notice. Must be because of the cumulated weirdness.

"It's… nothing," I quietly replied. "Just a small hiccup." With that, I got back to work.

After what I'm sure Futaba and Morgana thought was an eternity and a half, I finished cooking all four plates of curry (plus one for me, and two cups of coffee). I don't think I've ever had to make so much curry at once – even when I make them so we Phantom Thieves can easily restore SP, one plate is usually enough for all of us.

"Order's done," I said aloud.

Futaba cheered. "Finally! _Woooooo!"_ She started reaching toward the plates."Gimme gimme gimme!"

"Calm down there, Futaba," I chuckled. "Everyone else needs to get it, too."

"Yes, we have certainly waited long enough," Elizabeth chimed in. Dramatically, she raised her arms to the sky and declared, "Bring on the curry, I say!"

"It certainly smells good," Marie said. "You must have a lot of experience with this."

"It was… kind of a necessity," I admitted. "But at this point, I don't really mind." Morgana quietly commented, _"Neither do I; it certainly helps in the SP department."_

I started passing out the plates, and it didn't take long for both Futaba and Morgana to start attempting to devour it at the speed of sound. "Whoa, guys, calm down!" I said, smiling at the scene. And to think these two were trying to chase each other just an hour or so ago.

" _I can't help it!"_ Futaba exclaimed, her voice muffled a bit by the food in her mouth. _"It's just so gooooood!"_

"It's just as good as sushi!" Morgana complimented in addition.

"Ha ha, you have that exact same reaction every time," I told Futaba, a small laugh coming out of my mouth. "Both you _and_ Morgana." It's _only_ those two, too – the other Phantom Thieves have long since gotten used to the supposed magnificence of my curry (I honestly can't tell how 'amazing' it is), yet these two treat every single meal of it as something brand new. Just another quirk to add to the table, I guess.

"I can certainly see why!" Elizabeth chimed in once more, half of her dish already eaten. (How the heck did she eat that fast!?) "Although I have faced far better, your curry is altogether not too bad! Perhaps I should try to find the secrets to this recipe so we can make it ourselves!" …I guess I should take that as a compliment.

"Hey, what about my own curry, Liz?" Marie teased. "I thought you liked that, too."

"But you must admit, Marie, it would be so much better if we added this to your recipe!" Elizabeth was saying joyously. "We would make the perfect curry to rival all curries!"

"Sorry, this recipe is copyrighted," I joked with a deadpan expression. "Ask again next time."

"Such a shame! Oh well, I guess eating this alone will have to do for now." She seems to take everything in stride, I swear. Not that that's a bad thing, or anything. I'm not sure I could take something like that on a regular basis. Then again, I deal with a lot of quirky people a lot – Yusuke, Futaba, Morgana, the twins…

…huh. You know, maybe I _could_ take it.

Not like I'd _want_ to, but, eh.

"Mmm, this really is good," Marie commented. "I'm surprised more people haven't come here just for this."

"Well, we are kind of a small café in the middle of a small area, so we don't really get a lot of attention," I said. "I think Sojiro likes it best that way, though."

"But on the bright side, we get free access to curry 24/7! It's almost as good as _Featherman Victory!"_ Of course Futaba would say that.

"I imagine this Sojiro is the owner of this café?" Marie guessed. "He's got a pretty good recipe. You've mastered it pretty well."

"Thanks, heh heh…" I smiled. I don't get a lot of compliments – especially at school, since basically everyone knows me as 'that one criminal' – so every single one I get really hits home that much more.

Futaba squeed in the background, and Morgana even meowed with a little respect.

Eventually, everyone finished their bowls of curry, and Marie and Elizabeth leaving a pretty sizable tip, too. Out of a wallet that looked close to bursting. I'd wager there was something like nine million Yen in there. Seriously.

"… _what in the name of the Metaverse?"_ Morgana was staring in shock. I was too.

What kind of person carries that much Yen around at once? Even with what the Metaverse hands out, I don't keep nearly that much on me. Though I know for a fact Morgana pillages some of it for his 'secret savings' (don't ask).

"We should come back here sometime, Marie!" Elizabeth said. "The taste of these concoctions is something that I would most certainly like to relive! It's like a beautiful factory of… hmm, let's say festival food!"

…I don't think that metaphor really works.

"Yeah, we should," Marie agreed. "I liked the atmosphere; nice and quiet. I could really see myself writing a few poems here on my free time."

"Ooh, come often enough and I'll convince Sojiro to give you a discount!" Futaba chimed in. "And Ren can do it all for free!"

"Uhh, _excuse me?"_ I burst in, slightly insulted.

"It's not you make a lotta money from this anyway," Futaba insensitively told me, "so you'll live! Make sure to make lots of bowls for us then!"

I slumped. "I thought I was supposed to be you guys' leader…" I grumbled.

" _Now you know how I feel,"_ Morgana similarly deadpanned. Snarky little cat…

"You are! But friends are allowed to get freebies from leaders, too! A leader provides for all of us, after all! That's them rules of RPG parties!"

"Gnrk." Where does she even get this logic from?

"Leader, eh?" Marie noticed. Crap, Futaba forgot to disguise that part of her speech. Err, maybe she'll just take it as another one of her quirks? "I didn't know that's what your little group of friends called you."

"It's just a little quirk we have," I quickly explained. "We are a… colorful group of people, so treating ourselves like an organization really helps us out in keeping us altogether really well. It also helps us prepare for the future when we'll inevitably be in similar situations."

Futaba and Morgana both respectively gave a _"Yeah, what he said!"_ and _"Sounding good, Joker!"_ in response. Heh, my leadership skills have really improved over the past few months. I came up with a plausible explanation in just a few seconds! Absolutely perfect!

"Organization, huh? Well, can't say I'm a stranger to that," Marie said. "I was considered a leader in my own group of friends, so I can't say that's something too uncommon. I think it's something to admire, actually."

"Ooh, you hear that, Ren?" Futaba had a giant grin on her face. "Marie just said your leadership is something to admire! That's so awesome!"

"Yes, yes, I get it. Everything she says is awesome. You've iterated that enough," Morgana snarked. Briefly, Futaba got a look on her face that very definitely indicated that she's gonna snuggle Morgana right after Marie leaves. I'd say I feel sorry for him, but he definitely keeps deserving all of it.

"Well, we must be off now! And I must say… Your fates as written in the cards are quite interesting indeed." My eyes subtly widened. That definitely sounded like it was related to the tarot cards the Velvet Room residents love to use. "I can sense that you will have some very hard decisions to make in your future. You should remember to keep track of the paths you are traversing."

If Marie knew the details of what Elizabeth was implying, she didn't show it. She just stood there with a smile on her face.

…I should talk to Justine and Caroline about Elizabeth sometime. Preferably out of hearing range of Igor. That guy creeps me out.

"…thanks," I replied reluctantly. It'd be rude if I didn't say anything to her.

"I just felt like that was worth saying. Now, tally hoooooooo!" And with that, Elizabeth metaphorically flew out the door, her arms outstretched as if imitating an airplane. Marie chuckled, said "See you guys later," and followed behind her wife.

Well, I can't say that wasn't an interesting visit.

"Wow, that was weird," Futaba commented. "Oh well! I got to eat curry today, so that's a win!"

…wait a minute. I never mentioned anything about a 'group of friends' near Marie…

* * *

 **Café Leblanc – Attic**

"There's something about those two from earlier that gives me the goosebumps," Morgana admitted to me in the safety of the attic. He was once more outstretched beside me on my makeshift bed.

"Oh?" I said, gesturing for him to continue.

"Like… take that Elizabeth woman. She gives me a sort of… familiarity? Siblingship? I can't explain it."

Siblingship? That's a strange word to use.

Knowing that Elizabeth is very blatantly a Velvet Room resident, this meant that Morgana might have ties _to_ the Velvet Room. Could he be just like Justine and Caroline? Or is he something even greater in power? "Does she have something to do with your missing memories?" I tentatively asked.

"Again, I don't know. Something in me just _feels_ something. Maybe… it's just a coincidence?" Morgana sounded unsure – not surprising, considering this relates to his biggest issue – but this was a vulnerability I'd never seen out of him before. "What do I do, Ren? I want to learn more. I want to have my memories back. But… what if I don't like what I find? What if… I turn out to be something _terrible?"_

…ever since the day I met Morgana, he's proven to be many things. Snarky, kind of a pain, a little bit snooty here and there – but he's also one of my best friends, the guy who's always by my side, always in my bookbag. And honestly, it'd just feel _wrong_ without him there.

"Whatever you are, I don't think it really matters," I said. "You're still our friend in the end. Sure, you're a bit of pain, but… I don't mind too much. You've helped us out so much, taught us all about being Phantom Thieves. And nothing's gonna change that, ever."

"R-Ren…" Morgana stared at me with something resembling awe. "Heh, I knew there was something special in you the moment I first laid eyes on you. Thanks."

"You're welcome," I grinned. "Now… there's just Marie."

"Right, the poet. She's kind of mysterious, isn't she?"

"I think she's a Persona user too," I bluntly stated.

"Huh?" Morgana blinked. "W-What gives you _that_ idea?"

"She reacted to your first statement near her. The one about her 'weird fashion'. You should know the one."

"Hey, it's true! Anyone could see how weird it was, and I'm sure Lady Ann would notice that too! …but do you really think that she could be a Persona user?"

"She has to be," I insisted. "Maybe she's even like me. She mentioned she was a leader in her group of friends too, but I never said anything about having a group of friends in her presence. She had to have been speaking through experience. There's no other explanation that makes sense."

"…Huh. And here I thought we were the only Persona users around. Well, now we know what to do if we ever see them again!" Morgana said. "We're the Phantom Thieves of Hearts; there's nothing we can't do if we put our minds to it! Isn't that right, Joker?"

I laughed. "Yeah, there's nothing we can't do."

I don't know what the future will probably hold for us – and in relation to Marie and Elizabeth – but we didn't get this far by second-guessing ourselves. We'll see where things go, and deal with things from there.

Besides, we've got plenty of Phantom Thief business to take care of first.

* * *

 **[Marie]**

 **Yongen-Jaya**

"So, what did you think of the new Wild Card, Marie?" Elizabeth asked me as soon as we stepped out of the café. I'll admit, we came to the café simply because it looked like a quiet place to just relax a little after so much chaos, though seeing the new resident Wild Card was quite a happy bonus.

Over the past couple of years, we've noticed the… startling rise of 'mental shutdown' cases. Everyone's pretty worried about them, and the Shadow Operatives are working overtime to try and figure them out. That's not even mentioning the manifestation of the Collective Unconsciousness known as Mementos, and the fact that something's happened to the Velvet Room. We haven't been able to figure out what specifically, but just the _fact_ that we can't access it is a red flag in and out of itself.

We've managed to gain contact with Theodore and Margaret, but not Liz's younger sister, Lavenza. And that's kind of making Liz a little agitated and worried.

The café was a nice way to get away from all of that.

"He's an interesting character, I'll admit," I answered, "especially with that talking cat of his." Oh yeah, and we can't forget the resident mascot of his. He seemed a lot like Koromaru and Teddie, except really snarky. Abundantly so. Judging by the fact that he was talking freely even when he was clearly a cat, it was obvious that very few were actually able to hear him speak.

"Ah, you noticed too? I felt it rude to speak about that matter, so I simply stayed silent. I thought it was simply like that Teddie fellow from a few years back. What's your thoughts on him?"

"Eh, Koromaru's cuter. That's a definitive fact." What can I say? Koromaru's made me biased in the 'cats vs. dogs' department. He's just too cute to say otherwise. All of the Shadow Operatives feel that way, last I checked. "His existence is intriguing, though. He doesn't feel like a Shadow, not the way that Teddie was. Not to mention his talk about the Metaverse and Phantom Thievery."

"I had always wondered who those Phantom Thieves were," Liz admitted. "I can see they are quite fascinating! Do you think they like takoyaki too?"

What is with Liz's fascination with that food? "That's… probably debatable," I answered carefully.

"Hmm… We should buy a lot of takoyaki for them then! You can never have too much of it, after all!"

"If you say so, Liz. Either way… we should definitely keep track of these Phantom Thieves. Maybe they can help us with our Velvet Room situation." I'll admit, hearing Igor's voice at this point will be a glorious sound to behold.

"I hope so," Liz said. "Lavenza better still be alright; I still have yet to teach her everything about the human world! Maybe she's even our new Wild Card's attendant. We should ask him about it, next time!"

"That we should, Liz. That we should."

* * *

 **It took me a while to write this chapter. Not because I was lacking in ideas, but primarily because of my fluctuating motivations, which have killed many an idea of mine.**

 **As a result, I don't quite think that this chapter is up to my usual standards. I'd spend a little more time on it, but I think I've spent enough time on it. This is my first time writing any of the** _ **Persona 5**_ **cast, and I've done my best to match their characterizations in this chapter with canon. That means Futaba gets all the video game references. Aw, yeah.**

 **I can't wait for** _ **Persona Q2**_ **to come out so we can have the Phantom Thieves officially interact with SEES and the Investigation Team, because heavens knows that's going to be a glorious event. Especially given the extreme differences between the latter two and the Phantom Thieves.**

 **I love the Thieves so much; they were my introduction to the** _ **Persona**_ **series in the first place. To be honest, they're why I'm so excited for Q2. So please give us Q2 news sometime, Atlus. Please. I'll even take a 2019 release date, just show us something. Until then, I guess this will have to be my spot for P5 canon crossovers.**

 **Also yes, we will eventually be seeing Marie's first reaction to the dreaded** Mystery Food X **. Everybody will lie in fear of its magnificent terribleness.**

 **That's all I've got for now; tune in next time for more shenanigans!**


	3. Aigis, Just Aigis

**A Goddess Living Life**

 _ **Chapter 3  
**_ _Aigis, Just Aigis_

(Uploaded on August 11, 2018)

* * *

 **Summary:** She's an advanced and really observant android, and she's just as socially oblivious as I used to be. So of _course_ Aigis would be the first one in this labyrinth to figure out my true identity. My only condolence is that she didn't blurt it out in front of everyone… though that doesn't make things any less awkward.

 **Notes:** This chapter takes place during _Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth;_ specifically, midway through the **Group Date Café**.

* * *

 **[Marie]**

 **Velvet Room**

It's weird seeing the Velvet Room look like this. It's open and full of gears and weird cubes and _there are stairs leading off into nothingness._ Sure, I've seen this before – becoming the Great Seal actually brought back my memories of the labyrinth, wouldn't you know – but that doesn't mean this isn't as weird as hell. And it's especially jarring given the increased amount of time I've spent in the normal Velvet Room after my revival.

The other attendants have adjusted fairly well to our little situation, though, even taking my and Liz's rather abrupt entrance in stride. (Like, we accidentally kill-stole the Queen of Hearts. I think Junpei's still a little sore about that.)

The two Elizabeths occupy the Nurse's Office; with Liz doing the major nurse work while her past self takes care of sidequests. Theo's in the Workshop, wearing the most adorable apron I've ever seen (Liz has some fine good taste!), and Margaret handles **Fusion Business™** in the Velvet Room.

And yes – that's with a trademark. Margaret actually _did_ manage to trademark the term. No, I don't know how she did it, and no, I don't want to find out. I suppose every attendant has their quirks.

As for me, I'm hanging about doing this… **StreetPass** stuff. (That's a… 'Nintendo 3DS' thing, isn't it? What does that have to with us, anyway?) It's a weird thing – I can use my powers to 'communicate' with others trapped from across time and space, or something. And from there I can give everyone else their Personas. I have no idea where they come from, why it's called StreetPass, or even how this is possible. I wouldn't have thought that being a goddess would involve stuff like this, but, well… here we are.

On the bright side, it gives me a lot of time to just write poems (or 'pathos', as I affectionately call it), so I guess I can't really complain… apart from how quiet it gets.

While I was lying about the floor with my writing, Margaret was flipping through the giant grimoire that was the **Persona Compendium**. I remember spending so much time fully completing mine, and Team Gekko-Yaso's actually filled up quite the amount of pages since we got here. The three Wild Cards are pretty dedicated to that – and I can't really blame them. It's easy to get sucked in by it.

That doesn't explain the weird Personas that already occupied the pages, though. Like, I'm still wondering how the hell Orpheus Telos got in there – past me's not even supposed to be _able_ to have him yet. And it can't be because of me, because this isn't _my_ Compendium.

I guess it's just another mystery for the ages.

(Some of the other dimensions I look into mention something about 'DLC' and 'bonus Personas', but what are they even talking about?)

"You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself, Marie," Margaret remarked, the sound of flipping pages still filling up the empty air. "Here I thought you'd want to be out and about, trying to solve the mystery of this labyrinth."

"I've already been through this before, so I'm fine just having fun with everyone else," I replied, not bothering to look up from my notebook. "Besides, the other Wild Cards need this time to grow and make bonds under their own power. This is part of their journey, not mine."

Yu's Attendant merely hummed, similarly not looking up from her massive grimoire (I can tell because the pages are still turning). For a moment, the two of us just sat in silence as we had been just a few minutes earlier, my pen was still inking down words as ideas came to my brain. "…you know, it is quite the feat, the miracle that Elizabeth performed," she said next. "She went a long way just to bring you back to life. You must truly hold a special place in her heart."

I smiled. "Yeah. She's the best girlfriend I could've ever asked for." Even when the odds were against her, she still gave it her all to let me be free again. That's part of why I love her so much. "She's really how I managed to withstand being the Great Seal for so long. I couldn't imagine being without her – especially in this labyrinth, with SEES and our past selves around."

"The bond you two have is very strong indeed," Margaret stated amusedly. "Hmm… How do you feel being around your old friends, Marie?"

"It's… pretty weird, actually," I admitted. "I _like_ seeing everyone again, don't get me wrong. And playing around with them's great, too. But I keep half-expecting them to just recognize me on principle. Is… Is that strange? I-I mean, I'm pretty different from who I used to be and all…" By this point, I had let a bit of a worried frown overtake my face. I… I hope I'm not being too weird by thinking that. I'm a lot more social than I used to be, sure, but there's still a part of me that's still feels a little awkward.

Margaret merely chuckled. "I don't think you have anything to fear. It just shows how much you truly value your bonds, and how well you've grown to know them. Perhaps you'll find that one of your old teammates will recognize you despite your worries."

I snorted light-heartedly. "I don't think that's likely to happen, Margaret." No one could just glance at me and Minato and say 'Yep, those two are the exact same person.' Unless you've got a hefty dose of conspiracies under your belt, of course.

"Don't be so quick to disregard such a possibility," the attendant stated. "People can be more perceptive than you think."

As if daring to test her statement, the door to the Velvet Room opened with a loud creak, and the two of us looked up from our literature-based stuff to look at our newest visitor.

It was… **Aigis**. Huh.

I didn't expect to see her in here. I thought she'd be hanging about my past self, or more accurately, my sister. Funny thing, she was a lot more attracted toward Minako than she was toward me. It was really odd – I mean, _I_ was the one with Death sealed inside me, after all. She still ended up becoming one of my best friends, though. I can't tell you how much I appreciated her being with me, on that rooftop, that fateful day.

"Oh, hey Aigis," I greeted our resident robot, getting off the floor to stand. "Whatcha here for? You don't normally come alone."

"There is something I need to talk with you about, Marie-san," she answered in her typical monotone manner. Still much of a robot in personality, I see. Not that it wasn't unexpected – I remember we came to the labyrinth the first time before October. (And I remember shaking off my illness just in time, too!)

"Alright, I'm game for anything. You need any StreetPass things? I can do that if you want." I found an alright Persona to give – it's a King Frost; of course it would be – so I'm not too worried on that front. Instead of asking for that, Aigis simply said something different.

"That is not what I'm here for." Okay, uhh… Does she need Fusion Business™ advice or something? Help for a sidequest? A gift for Minako? "I am asking about you, Marie-san." Umm… whuh? I'm not liking where this is heading. "Or… do you prefer going by **Minato-san** instead?"

I froze.

Did… Did she just say what I think she just said?

 _J-Just like that?_

 _ **Right in front of my face?**_

"What," I blankly stated. My train of thought was rapidly derailing itself, and fast. "Did… Did you just…?"

Aigis tilted her head, seemingly oblivious to my current feelings. "You _are_ Minato-san, correct? All of the data I have collected is pointing to this one conclusion."

A flustered blush overcame my features, and I found myself unable to properly respond for a bit. "Wha!—H-How—!? Y-Yes, b-but— _You can't just—!"_ At this point, I was just spluttering to Aigis's face, who – in contrast to me – seemed to be taking things extremely in stride. (I also could've sworn Margaret was lightly laughing at me, but I couldn't really focus on that.)

Eventually, I managed to compose myself back to some semblance of calm. Or as close to calm as I could get. "H-How the heck did you even find out!?" I exclaimed, still feeling a little shocked. When I said I didn't expect for anyone to recognize me, I didn't mean for anyone to disprove me _literally twenty seconds later._

I really shouldn't have tempted Fate like that.

Aigis clinically explained, "It was simple. You and Minato-san share many personality traits, such as an affinity for music and tendency to sleep in abnormal situations." How the hell did she find _that_ out? I think I would've known if someone was watching—oh, _right,_ she used to break into my room. While I was asleep.

…and this suddenly became a lot more awkward.

"Minato-san has also informed me that your poems are written with concepts that intellectually resonate with him, indicating an impressive amount of knowledge about his character. He has said it is to the extent only he would know about. Though, I do not understand the subject material. What are the 'poisonous flowers' mentioned in one of the poems?" Okay, that one was a little unsubtle – only I and Pharos/Ryoji know that – so sue me!

"There is also your mannerisms, which resemble Minato-san's by a wide margin. You eat large amounts of food at once—" (Yeah, and so does Minako. And Rei. That's not really unique.) "—in what Junpei-san describes as a 'gluttonous fashion'—" (Now _that_ sounds like me. Or, uh, past me. All of me?) "—in addition to the propensity in which you put on your headphones, which are also very much like Minato-san's; your relationship with Elizabeth-san; the way you stare at the members of SEES…"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I exclaimed in an exasperated manner. "You don't have to keep listing out reasons! And how did you find so much evidence, anyway!?" Come on, I'm more of a background character on this journey – I thought she'd pay attention to everybody else instead!

"It is my highest priority to be with Minato-san and Minako-san. In order to accomplish that goal, I have memorized their personalities and traits to understand them better." That… sounds a lot creepier than it should. Damn it, Aigis. "I could not help noticing how much you acted like Minato-san, and so I was curious as to why that might be. I believe the conclusion I have reached is one that is most accurate at the moment."

…somehow, I don't think that statement is _quite_ true, but I don't think I feel like disputing that right now.

"You got me," I sighed. "Yes, I'm actually Minato from the future." I wish this 'reunion' was more dignified. Aren't reunions supposed to be grand and surprising, or something? It certainly doesn't help that Margaret is smiling amusedly at my predicament.

"I had figured as such," Aigis said. "What happened to you then, Marie-san? As I recall, Minato-san is most certainly a male. My calculations have indicated as such – his muscle size is adequate; his height is still 5'7"; his waist is not very large; his bust size isn't—"

Against my will, a blush fought its way to the forefront of my face. "A-Aigis!" I stammered, raising my hands to the sky in embarrassment. "You—You d-don't have to talk about my f-features like that!" She's even more socially oblivious than I remember! How the heck is that even possible!? (I wish I could be more surprised about her knowing my measurements, though.)

"L-Look, it's a—it's a long story, alright? It involves a goddess and some magic and some things that I _really_ don't want to tell anyone right now." Theodore and Margaret knowing? That's fine; they can handle everything with a straight face. The other Persona-users, and – god forbid – the Wild Cards? I'll tease 'em about it, sure, but that's definitely a storm I am sooooooo not ready for yet.

Thankfully, Aigis simply nodded and relented. "If you insist, Marie-san. This information will remain confidential." I breathed a sigh of relief. Gee, I have the combined power of the Universe _and_ Izanami and I'm still brought down just by Aigis being Aigis. "Have you adjusted to your gender, then? If you are willing, I have many guides for feminine bodies downloaded which I can read out for you—"

"N-No thanks, I'm already good on that front!" I frantically waved my hands in protest. Going through those just _once_ was enough, thank you very much!

"Are you sure? I have been told these guides are very reliable; they may be of great assistance—"

" _Y-Yes, I'm sure!"_

"Affirmative. Setting guides on standby." I could hear Margaret doing another light laugh. Yeah, yeah, you just laugh it up, it's not like _you_ have to deal with this kind of stuff. Ugh. "What shall I do then?"

"J-Just—Uhh… Just keep doing the whole labyrinth thing, I guess? I mean, it's not like this really… changes a whole lot?" I really hadn't planned for this, so heck if I know what this all meant for the future. "So long as you keep anything about our discussion to a minimum, I think we'll be good."

Aigis nodded again. "Affirmative. New mission parameters now include keeping Marie-san's identity hidden from SEES and the Investigation Team members. I will do my best to ensure the success of this mission."

"I suppose that's all I can hope for," I conceded. Like I've said before, I don't think it's time for past me (or Minako, now that I think about it) to know everything about myself – so I want to prolong that as long as I can. I'm not sure if that's really feasible… but I have to try, right?

We just sat there for a little while, just the two of us (and Margaret)… before Aigis kinda ruined the moment by asking "…Since you are also Minato-san, shall I update my mission parameters to be by your side as well?"

And then I proceeded to groan again, my face burning red again. Of course she would ask that. Of course.

"My, my, Marie," Margaret commented, her eyes seemingly twinkling. "You're looking quite flustered today. Should I call my sisters to check up on you?"

" _Shut up, Margaret,"_ I muttered. Liz is so going to laugh her ass off at this…

* * *

 **This, surprisingly, took longer than it should have. I blame Writer's Block and school starting back up.**

 **Since – in this universe's version of** _ **Persona Q**_ **– SEES is from 2009 while Marie is 2012-and-beyond, it stands to reason that none of them will really be capable of recognizing Marie as a weird future Minato. That is, none of them except Aigis. Aigis** _ **is**_ **a pretty observant android; this type of thing I could easily see mid-2009 her doing.**

 **She's a pretty unique character to write – and also the type of person I've never written for. Her depiction in PQ is pretty robotic and extremely socially oblivious, so I hope I've gotten that point across with her dialogue and actions.**

 **I wanted this to be longer, actually, but I've already wasted enough time just trying to map out where this chapter will go. Besides, it's not like my one-shots need to be extremely lengthy, anyway, so it can be excused at least.**

 **As a side note, we finally got a full reveal for _Persona Q2_ – and I got to say, I'm happy with what we've got! SEES, the Investigation Team, the Phantom Thieves – heck, we've even got our dear sweet Minako in there! The only thing I'm hoping for is that we get 8-character name selections and EXP share. Give me those, and I'll be perfectly satisfied.**

 **Well, that's all for now – so stay tuned until next time!**


	4. One Last Surprise to Rival the Ages

**A Goddess Living Life**

 _ **Chapter 4  
**_ _A Last Surprise to Rival the Ages_

(Uploaded on December 9, 2018)

* * *

 **Summary:** _Ren got into_ _ **WHAT!?**_

 **Notes:** This chapter is set two years after _Persona 5._

…I couldn't ever have seen this coming, I swear—

* * *

 **[Marie]**

 **Shadow Operatives H.Q. – Meeting Room**

It took me a while to reattach my jaw.

A long, _long_ while.

You—You really can't blame me for that, honestly. I mean, just—what!?

 _What!?_

 _ **WHAT!?**_

Junpei wasn't any better, having spat out his coffee the second the news was given. Most of the rest of the room—Mitsuru, Yukari, and Yosuke—was in shock as well. (Yu wasn't; he's like a stone wall, I swear.) In fact, I dropped my latest poem notebook, too.

"No way," he was breathing. _"No way!"_

Ren grinned wildly, a carryover from his Phantom Thief mannerisms. I think he was savoring every second of our reactions, the little cheek. "Yes way," he replied just as cheekily.

Me, Junpei, and Yukari gawked at each other and back at Ren repeatedly, each of us trying to comprehend the news we had just been given. "I—I can't believe it," Yukari said. "You—You _actually_ got an invitation!?"

"I know, right!?" Morgana exclaimed, poking his head out of Ren's bag. He was similarly grinning like a loon as Ren held out the source of our surprise: a single white envelope, sealed with a symbol recognizable to even us – our Wii U gets a lot of use 'round here, as a side note. "It surprised me, too – but we'd be terrible Phantom Thieves to ignore _this_ type of opportunity!"

I finally managed to get my mouth closed. "W-Well," I stammered out, "I can certainly say Lavenza'll like _this."_ (Velvet Room attendants have always been attached to their guests; she'll be freaking out! And bragging, too! Heavens knows she's still got a bit of Caroline in her…) "Holy freaking crap…!"

"She won't stop talking about it for _ages,"_ Junpei groaned. "This is gonna suck…"

"This is… This is quite the unexpected event," Mitsuru stated, the surprise in her eyes still clear—not like I'd mention that out loud, of course. I'm not immune to Ice, and I'm _not_ testing my resistance to executions again. "An interdimensional fighting tournament, you say? That is… high honors for you, Amamiya, I must admit that."

A slow clap made its way from across the room – true to form, it was from Yu. "I have to say, I'm impressed," he declared, a calm smile on his stoic visage. "I thought that Cross Tag Battle from a while back was big enough… but this is really something else. You really have a knack for outclassing all of us, don't you?"

" _That's_ an understatement," Yosuke grumbled from next to him. Yeah, I know, just look at his big-ass Ultimate Persona. "We're—we're talking about him being able to go up against all these heroes and villains and—and _everyone!_ That's _BIG!_ How the heck are you so calm about this!?"

Yu shrugged – damn, he pulls that off really well with that poker face of his. (I'd try it myself, but… I can't do it nearly as well.) "We've seen our fair share of crazy things, Yosuke," he said. "This isn't anything really too extravagant."

"I think 'getting invited into Smash Bros.' is a bit on the extravagant side, methinks," I deadpanned.

"We've faced gods before, Marie. What's a tournament on the side to that?"

"Oh, don't give me that excuse _now,_ Yu!"

…oh, yeah. Did I forget to mention this was for _**Super Smash Bros.**_ _?_ And the new _**Ultimate**_ one, to boot? …as DLC – but still!

The _Super Smash Bros._ tournament is a prestigious one, a name known to all across the multiverse – including the Velvet Room. I caught Igor once wondering if Master Hand would ever invite a Wild Card to one.

Ren's literally gonna be able to go up against Sonic the Hedgehog, Solid Snake, Cloud Strife, and Simon Belmont all at once – and a buttload of Nintendo characters, too! I am, admittedly, extremely jealous. I'm the type of person to barge into fighting tournaments for the heck of it – hell, that's exactly what I did six years ago with the P-1 Grand Prix. (It was a blast, by the way, despite the whole drama with Labrys and all.) And this one has a lot of famous names behind it! It's literally everyone's dream!

I guess the gods up there decided it was _Ren's_ turn to be the unexpected surprise this time around.

…I'm still jealous.

I bet this must be the ultimate Christmas gift for him, next to shooting an equally-as-big-ass false god in the face with a giant revolver.

"C'mon, you guys could at least act a little more excited for Joker here!" Morgana piped up, looking rather dissatisfied by our reactions. "This is _huge_ – way huger than any Palace!" _(Or Nyx,_ my mind commented.) "You all look so—so… _lackluster!" Lackluster?_ Why you little…!

"Well, _excuse_ us if we're still trying to come to terms with this thing!" I retorted, throwing my hands into the air. "Even us Velvet Room attendants need time to grasp this type of stuff! Cut us a break! Just 'cause we're overpowered doesn't mean we have to be spectacular all the time!"

As I was ranting, Junpei got another long-suffering look on his face. "Oh man," he suddenly realized. "I betcha Mina-chan's gonna _scream_ when she hears about this." Oh crap—that's right. Minako hasn't seen this yet. "Her, and Chie, and Akihiko, and… is it just me, or do we have a lot of hard-headed people around here?"

Yukari scoffed, leaning back in her chair. "Speak for yourself, Junpei… You're one to talk."

"Hey, what do you mean by that!? You're pretty hard-headed too!"

"Wha—hey! I am _not!"_

I giggled. Oh, this is still so glorious, even after years of getting used to it.

Mitsuru smiled at her subordinates' antics. "Kids," she muttered, shaking her head. Yeah, they're never gonna grow out of that dynamic. Not that I mind, really… She locked eyes with Ren and continued, "If you're going to participate in this new tournament, then I expect you to do your best. You will be representing all of us in there – the Shadow Operatives, the Investigation Team, _and_ the Phantom Thieves. I trust you will be up to the task?"

Ren smirked his trademark Joker smirk (he should trademark that, seriously). "I wouldn't have it any other way. I didn't take down Yaldabaoth for nothing, you know."

"Ohhhh, I can't _wait_ to see what kind of treasures we'll get to see! The people we'll get to meet!" Morgana began to drool. "And the food, too… I can almost _taste_ the sushi~…"

"Of course he'd want the sushi first," Yosuke commented. "He's almost like Ted with his pun-making and pervertedness in that regard…"

"Don't remind me," Yukari muttered, breaking away from her argument with Junpei to respond to the Investigation Team member. "Why are our teams always so… so _weird?_ N-No offense, of course."

"None taken," Yu shrugged again.

"I'm fine being weird, don't worry," I stated.

"Well, _that's_ not a surprise."

"Hey, I'm not weird!" Morgana protested. "I'm normal! I totally am!"

"You're a cat," I said. "That's not normal any way you look at it. Unless it's by our description of normal." Honestly, Morgana's like the reverse-Teddie, to the point where it makes me remember how big of a contrast the Phantom Thieves are to both us—the Shadow Operatives—and the Investigation Team, the latter more overall. Whereas Teddie is alright calling himself a bear, Morgana's insistent on being a human first and a cat… somewhat second.

Given how the _Super Smash Bros._ series is based on a lobby of crazy colorful characters, something tells me he'd fit in very well with them – him and Ren.

Morgana grumbled something under his breath. It's probably a statement of reluctant agreement, or something.

"So, Amamiya – when is this 'Master Hand'—" (He was the guy who sent the letter, as Ren read to us)—"supposed to meet you for this competition?" Mitsuru then asked, the smile on her face still warmly visible. "The high-status nature of such an event – not to mention, how unbelievable it would be for most people other than us – would mostly likely necessitate the presentation of proper proof that it actually exists, along with a host of other provisions that I won't go into right now." Good thing too; I'm already half-lost trying to follow her statements.

"Well…"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant portal opened up at the entrance of our meeting room and got us totally panicked. I clutched my handbag, ready to smack anyone—or anything- and Mitsuru unsheathed her rapier; Junpei got out a baseball bat; Yukari held out her bow and arrows; Yosuke whipped out some knives; and Yu… looked exceedingly unaffected (c'mon!), as did Ren. "That's him now, I think," Lavenza's Trickster remarked.

The vortex laid there for a little while before this massive flying gloved hand— **Master Hand** —floated on out of it, casually greeting us with a booming _"Hello, Persona-users!_ It is I, _Master Hand—"_

" _AHHH! IT'S A GIANT FLOATING HAND!"_ Junpei bounced from his seat and proceeded to whack the poor disembodied glove over and over as hard as we could. _"DON'T WORRY GUYS, I GOT THIS!"_

" _OW! OW! OW! WHAT THE HELL!? STOP HITTING ME! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY! OW! YOWCH!"_

I exited my battle-ready stance and stared at the scene for a couple of moments. A little giggle escaped unbidden from my lips, which transformed into a quiet chortle, which soon burst into hysterical laughter as Mitsuru facepalmed hard. Yukari looked like she wasn't far from joining me in that regard, her face a strange mix of amusement and exasperation. "This is hilarious!" I laughed.

"It's also embarrassing," Yukari moaned. "Seriously, Junpei? Ugh…"

" _OW! OW! I CAN BEAT YOU IN A FIGHT, YOU KNOW! I SHOULD NOT BE GOING THROUGH THIS! OW!_ _ **OW!**_ _GET OFF!"_

 _("Hey!"_ Morgana complained. "We kind of need him here! You can't beat him up until he's given me the sush—I mean, us a tour!"

"C'mon, Morgana," Ren watched with amusement, "let it pass a little bit. You have to admit, this isn't half-bad to watch!"

"S-Sure… but I want my sushi, too!")

"…this is real, right?" Yosuke muttered, rubbing his eyes as if this was a hallucination. Can't blame him, honestly! "This is really, _really_ real?"

"Yes," Yu said blithely. He had whipped out a pack of popcorn from outta nowhere—hey, I want some of that!—and was now chowing down on it as he watched the one-sided beatdown occur. When Yosuke looked at him weirdly, he merely asked, "What?"

"…dude, where did you get that popcorn? Why do you even _have_ popcorn on you?"

"Why not? It's tasty. And this is pretty entertaining."

He sighed. "…you never cease to amaze me, partner…"

I leaned back in my chair and turned to Yukari. "Hey, Yukari," I said, "when do you think we'll be able to have everyone over for a game of _Smash?_ The new one _is_ coming out pretty soon, and we've still got our Switch sitting around in the base…"

"I'd be surprised if we didn't have everyone the day it came out," Yukari admitted. She got a teasing look on her face—"What, you scared you'll lose to me again? I can beat you any day, you know~"

Oh, that's how she wants to play it, huh? "Just 'cause you're good with projectile characters doesn't mean I can't take you down! You may have beaten me a few times, sure," more like a dozen, "but this is a whole new game! New rules, and all that stuff!" I grinned. "I'm down for a 1-v-1, you and me, our usual mains. You ready to get your butt kicked?"

Her eyes shone. "Oh, it's _on."_

" _OW! OW! CAN'T ANY OF YOU STOP HIM ALREADY!? THIS IS REALLY BEGINNING TO HURT! SERIOUSLY!?"_

"You'll get over it!" I called to him. "Trust me, it's not _that_ bad!" I'd know; we've sparred quite a few times. He'll be fine, I'm sure!

" _ **YOU'RE**_ _NOT THE ONE GETTING HIT! YOWCH! D-DON'T HIT ME_ _ **THERE!"**_

* * *

 **I went into this weekend prepared to keep writing more** _ **Star Allies, Unite!.**_

 **I was** _ **not**_ **prepared for Joker inexplicably stealing an invitation into** _ **Smash Bros.,**_ **of all things.**

 **So—yeah! Have an impromptu chapter, everyone! I need to express my feelings about this** _ **somehow**_ **and—damn it, I'm gonna get the DLC the second it comes out. No other way about it.**

 **Talk about a last surprise. Good job, Sakurai; good job.**


End file.
